The present invention relates to an apparatus for winding video tape on reels.
An apparatus for winding long lengths of tape on reels of a video tape cassette and cutting the tape when a predetermined length has been wound has already been in practical use. However, in a conventional apparatus of this kind, although the tape is automatically wound and cut, reels cannot be automatically mounted on the winding apparatus. Rather they are manually mounted one by one. Therefore, this winding step requires much manual labor.
Since video tape cassettes are produced and sold on a large scale, it is very important that the winding step be carried out at a high efficiency and with a small number of workers.
In such a kind of apparatus, the work to be performed per unit time must be chosen in accordance with the work performed in the preceeding and following steps in the factory. However, it is necessary to wind video tape on reels with a strictly controlled tension and in an absolutely correct position, and the speed of winding video tape must not be changed with the work load. Thus, the number of the apparatuses used is controlled in line with the work performed by the preceeding and following steps. For example, if an apparatus for winding video tape can wind video tape on a set of reels each 20 seconds, ten apparatuses are used in a plant in which video tape must be wound on a set of reels every 2 seconds. When a plurality of apparatuses are used together, usually they are arranged in a line with conveyors being arranged in a line in front of the apparatuses so that vacant reels are fed to each apparatus by a corresponding conveyor and then the reels with video tape wound thereon are issued onto the conveyors.
However, in such a construction, since vacant reels and reels with video tape wound thereon are transferred together on the conveyors, the two different kinds of reels must be detected at the terminals of the conveyors, and the construction becomes complicated which is disadvantageous. Further, since conveyors must be designed and provided in correspondence with the number of the apparatuses, such equipment requires much time and labor.
The present invention has been developed in order to eliminate these disadvantages. The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for winding video tape on reels of a cassette which performs an increased amount of work in proportion to the number of apparatuses by providing a reel mounting and removing apparatus which can be operated simply, easily and rapidly in correspondence with the amount of the work performed in the plant.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for winding video tape on reels of a cassette which can easily exchange a winding apparatus which has gotten out of order by another winding apparatus, so that if an apparatus has gone bad, the operation of the plant need not be stopped.